Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bull Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Bull Bay: $901 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bull Bay
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Bull Bay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bull Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bull Bay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Bull Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $901 in Bull Bay, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Bull Bay $901

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,373 in Bull Bay, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Bull Bay $1,373

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,845 in Bull Bay, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Bull Bay $1,845

Phuket costs about 42% more than Bull Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Bull Bay are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Bull Bay 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.28 JMD 2,094

-66.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$75.8 JMD 11.9K

-57.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.13 JMD 966

43.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.55 JMD 244

82.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.99 JMD 156

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.74 JMD 116

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.24 JMD 354

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.48 JMD 391

48.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$4.02 JMD 634

-58.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.31 JMD 522

-55.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.25 JMD 196

20.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.47 JMD 547

-39.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.12 JMD 808

272.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.39 JMD 1,008

-48.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$3.73 JMD 589

192.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.90 JMD 300

54.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.87 JMD 295

-9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.25 JMD 356

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.92 JMD 146

126.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.91 JMD 144

65.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.53 JMD 241

-9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.11 JMD 176

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.02 JMD 161

-49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.72 JMD 586

12.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$3.73 JMD 588

403.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.46 JMD 387

-26.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.46 JMD 387

15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.98 JMD 154

47.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.97 JMD 154

211.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.17 JMD 499

-67.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.15 JMD 970

-40.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.45 JMD 229

1.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-39.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

-17.37%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.4 ฿3,254

$112 JMD 17.7K

-14.22%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.26 ฿380

$29.01 JMD 4,575

-61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.76 JMD 2,958

-10.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.67 JMD 4,993

112.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.42 JMD 2,117

-44.11%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$476 ฿16.1K

$358 JMD 56.5K

32.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,309 JMD 1.3M

35.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$23.28 JMD 3,671

167.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.55 JMD 4,976

-9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

23.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$103 JMD 16.2K

-16.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$217 JMD 34.2K

230.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$158 JMD 25.0K

209.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bull Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bull Bay

$158 17.6% 67.7% $333

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bull Bay

$232 25.8% 12.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bull Bay

$160 17.8% 28.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bull Bay

$105 11.7% 13.7% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bull Bay

$166 18.4% 36.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bull Bay

$59 6.5% 28.8% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bull Bay

$21 * 2.3% 70.7% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $217 in Bull Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $76 in Bull Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $232 in Bull Bay – so Bull Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Bull Bay

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bull Bay 17,090 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bull Bay

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Bull Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $901 in Bull Bay – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,352 in Bull Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bull Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $217 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $901 in Bull Bay. That’s a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $358 in Bull Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bull Bay, where all-in costs run around $901, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Bull Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bull Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.